Petition · past parliament

Introduce a suspension on Council tax payments on empty homes

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

During these unprecedented times, and many landlords and letting agents unable to carry out viewing on vacant properties, due to government guidelines on movement. Local councils should exempt council tax payments for empty homes.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

It is up to individual local authorities, not the Government or House of Commons, to determine whether people responsible for a second or empty home are entitled to a council tax discount.

You could start a petition calling for the Governemnt to fund a council tax suspension for empty homes, or to require local authorities to make empty homes exempt from council tax, as these are actions the Government could take.

You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support

You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips

You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/

Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/

Timeline

30 Mar 2020 Petition opened for signatures
19 May 2020 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 19 May 2020

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.